Hate message is unwelcome
Editorial, The Olympian
March 03, 2006

Things can get pretty hot under the Capitol Dome 
this time of year as lawmakers put the finishing 
touches on their bills and rush to adopt supplemental 
budgets before adjourning for the remainder of the 
year.

But the fireworks among lawmakers likely will pale 
in comparison to what might await this community if 
neo-Nazis live up to their pledge to stage a rally 
at the Capitol the first week of July.

The National Socialist Movement believes that acceptance 
of non-European racial groups or Jews is a threat to the 
white race. Justin Boyer, leader of the Seattle chapter, 
said in an earlier Olympia rally that his group is 
nonviolent and hopes to use media attention to attract more 
followers.

As vile as the messages from the movement are, it’s incumbent 
upon this community not to overreact. Counterrallies must be 
peaceful and send the message that bigotry and racial hatred 
are not values embraced by the South Sound community.

In January, South Sound residents got a glimpse of what 
might lie ahead if the neo-Nazis do bring 100 people to 
the steps of the Legislative Building at 2 p.m. on July 3. 
On Jan. 22, eight members of the Seattle-based National 
Socialist Movement marched from Martin Way to The Olympian’s 
parking lot on Fourth Avenue. The neo-Nazis quickly drew a 
counterprotest of 150 to 200 people who circled the neo-Nazis. 
It was a sizeable counterprotest given the short amount of 
time that community residents had to react to the neo-Nazi 
march.

Now, with months of advance notice, it’s not unrealistic 
to expect thousands of counterprotesters to greet the 
neo-Nazis in July. Of course, it’s not even certain that 
the neo-Nazis will come to the capital city. They are known 
for putting out false notifications of rallies in an effort 
to throw off their detractors and minimize the number of 
people offering a countermessage.

There are some in this community who believe state officials 
should simply reject the neo-Nazis’ application for their 
“Patriots Against White Genocide” rally/campout in July. 
The state cannot be in the censorship business. There is 
no legitimate reason for the state to reject the permit 
application. Everyone in this state and nation has a First 
Amendment right to free speech, even if the message is vile. 
It would be better to let the neo-Nazis hold their rally in 
isolation. Simply ignore them.

What propels their marches onto the evening news and the 
front pages of newspapers is the inevitable clash between 
those flying Confederate flags and wearing swastikas and 
the counterprotesters shouting them down. Drew Hendricks, 
a member of the Olympia Movement for Justice, said local 
peace groups are working on a plan to counter the neo-Nazi 
group. “There’s been a lot of discussions among the progressive 
community in town on how to have a response that is not a 
reaction against the National Socialist Movement, but to 
educate people about diversity and tolerance.”

That’s a solid approach. Let the message of hate be drowned 
out by an education campaign on diversity and tolerance. 

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